A new study by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) in the US has revealed a new way to stimulate the immune system to enable immunotherapy to shrink or eradicate aggressive tumours. By equipping oncolytic viruses, genetically modified viruses, with tumour-inhibiting genetic cargo, researchers found that it ‘warms up’ cold tumours in the immune system and helps immunotherapy tackle the tumour. Oncolytic viruses were previously designed to directly eliminate cancer cells. Researchers found that oncolytic viruses could stimulate the immune system, suggesting their potential use with other cancer therapies to remove the brakes on the immune system for T cells to recognise and combat tumours. “Immune checkpoint inhibitors work only in ‘hot’ tumours, which have already been infiltrated by T cells,” said Greg Delgoffe, associate professor of immunology at Pitt’s School of Medicine and director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center at UPMC Hillman Cancer ...
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs) for the treatment of refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least four prior lines of therapy. Talvey is a bispecific antibody targeting T-cell CD-3 receptors and G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D) developed by Janssen. It received accelerated approval as a weekly or biweekly subcutaneous therapy. University of California multiple myeloma programme director Ajai Chari noted in a press release: “Patients at this stage of the disease have a poor prognosis. Talquetamab as a first-in-class therapy is a new option for patients with this difficult-to-treat blood cancer.” The approval was based on meaningful overall response rates (ORR) demonstrated in the Phase II clinical trial data. However, continued approval for Talvey is contingent upon further confirmatory trials showing clinical benefit. To that end, Talvey is only available for use via a ...
Amongst fierce competition in the obesity space, Novo Nordisk has spent $1bn to acquire Inversago Pharma to shore up its weight loss treatment portfolio. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 and will hit the billion-dollar mark, subject to developmental and commercial milestones. The deal, which comes a month after Eli Lilly acquired Versanis and its lead weight loss candidate, bimagrumab, in a $1.9bn deal, will include Inversago’s lead asset INV-202, an oral cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) inverse agonist. Novo Nordisk said it intends to use the candidate for patients with obesity and obesity-related complications. Canada-based Inversago demonstrated the weight loss potential of the candidate in a Phase Ia trial by blocking the CB1 receptor, which plays an important role in appetite regulation and metabolism. INV-202 is currently in a Phase II trial for diabetic kidney disease (NCT05514548). Prior to the 10 August announcement, Novo ...
Genscript Biotech has formed a strategic collaboration agreement with T-MAXIMUM Biotech to develop CAR-T cell therapy. Leveraging GenScript’s CRISPR nucleic acid re-agents, the partnership will focus on developing T-MAXIMUM’s CAR-T cell therapy. GenScript research and development (R&D) and manufacturing vice-president Dr Li Hong stated: “Our R&D-to-GMP-level sgRNA will support their UCAR-T products for solid tumours. While CAR-T cell therapies have made remarkable strides in haematological tumours, addressing the unmet need for solid tumours remains crucial.” T-MAXIMUM will receive a number of CRISPR re-agents from GenScript. These will support the development of T-MAXIMUM’s universal CAR-T products from discovery to commercialisation. GenScript’s partnership with T-MAXIMUM will drive the latter’s strategic development plan, advancing products into Phase II clinical research and enabling market delivery up to 2027. T-MAXIMUM is currently focused on the development of its universal CAR-T cell therapy product, MT027, to treat recurrent high-grade gliomas. T-MAXIMUM CEO Dr Shang Xiaoyun stated: ...
Amazon has announced that its online healthcare business, Amazon Pharmacy, will provide automated manufacturer-sponsored coupons for over 15 insulin and diabetes medicines to help patients access discounts pledged by the drug industry. The company said that patients will not need to search for and manually enter coupons using the new automatic coupon programme for three insulin makers: Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi, lowering costs to as little as $35 a month. In March 2023, Novo, Lilly and Sanofi announced that they would be lowering their insulin prices by around 70% by or in 2024. A report published in July by Senator Elizabeth Warren said that some patients were struggling to get already discounted generic insulin from pharmacies at the guaranteed lower price. After Lilly lowered its Insulin Lispro list price in May to $25 per vial, patients were still being quoted up to $330 for the medicine and were ...
Biocon’s troubled Malaysia manufacturing facility has been slammed once again by the FDA. After a recent inspection, the regulator cited the plant for eight observations. The latest citation follows an FDA visit to the site from July 10 to July 20. Afterward, the FDA wrote up its findings in a Form 483 filing that highlights inadequate corrective and “repeat” problems that it observed on previous visits. In a letter posted on the FDA’s website, Biocon was cited for a number of ongoing issues such as scissors stored in non-sterile holders being used to open “bags of sterile components,” improper blockage of air filters, insufficient cleaning of sterile machinery and numerous problems with batch testing and record-keeping. The filing, which contained numerous redactions, also cited Biocon’s failure to lay out detailed, written guidelines for some manufacturing operations. “Specifically, your firm has no written procedures on what corrective actions are to be ...
Nine states are saying not so fast to a proposed $13.5 million settlement that would get Eli Lilly out of hot water over claims it jacked up the price of its lucrative insulin product Humalog. The states argue Lilly is trying to use the deal to ward off future lawsuits by U.S. states. In a Tuesday filing in New Jersey federal court, lawyers for Arizona, Mississippi and Minnesota urged U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti to delay approval of the deal unless it’s altered to make sure states can still file their own lawsuits over insulin prices. The states joined Illinois, Nebraska, Utah, Arkansas, Kansas and Montana in making their objections known this week. In a separate filing Monday, the group of six states argued that in light of local insulin price caps, Lilly was trying to settle claims valued at about $1 billion by offering price reductions that are already ...
Reasoning skills are crucial skills in learning, academic performance, and everyday problem-solving. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, improved overall diet quality and reduced consumption of red meat, as well as increased time spent in reading and organised sports enhanced reasoning skills among children over the first two school years. Sehrish Naveed, Doctoral Researcher, University of Eastern Finland, said, “Children with healthier eating habits showed greater cognitive development than other children. Specifically, better overall diet quality, lower red meat consumption, and higher low-fat dairy product intake were linked to better reasoning skills.” Children who spent more time in reading and organised sports showed better reasoning skills than their peers. On the other hand, excessive time spent on a computer and unsupervised leisure-time physical activity were associated with poorer reasoning skills. Screen time, active school transportation, recess physical activity, and physical activity intensity were not ...
A Leap Forward for Patients, A Promising Opportunity for Investors, and a Revolutionary Tool for Physicians Salt Lake City, Utah – Inherent Biosciences, Inc., a commercial-stage life science company, is at the forefront of innovation with its epigenetic diagnostic tools designed to enhance and support the reproductive journey. The company has secured a $1.9M Fast-Track SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further its mission of raising the standard of care in reproductive health. Inherent Biosciences is driven by a vision to transform trial and error medicine and restore hope for patients. The company’s Sperm Quality Test (SpermQT), marketed under the brand Path Fertility (pathfertility.com), offers a cutting-edge assessment of male fertility. This grant will bolster the development of the company’s second test, targeting the needs of approximately 40 million men worldwide affected by azoospermia, a condition where there is an absence of sperm in the ejaculate, ...
In the aftermath of devastating wildfires on Maui, Bayer is standing up as one of the first pharmaceutical companies to offer relief. The German conglomerate is providing a cash donation of $250,000 to the island, plus a donation of essential healthcare products also worth $250,000. Bayer has operated in Maui for more than half a century, the company said in a Wednesday release. The company said it “stands in solidarity with those impacted and offers heartfelt condolences for the losses endured.” The fire in Lahaina, Hawaii, is now the deadliest in more than a century, according to the U.S. Fire Administration and CNN. To date, some 2,200 structures have been destroyed or damaged, 86% of which are residential, the state’s governor, Josh Green, has said. The death toll was 110 as of Wednesday. Of Bayer’s cash donation, $150,000 will go to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong program, which is ...
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